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    Dummett and Stevenson's work on criteria of identity show... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→The formal proof that there is no such thing as relative identity requires that there are no ad hoc sortals.

    Dummett and Stevenson's work on criteria of identity shows that different sortals can legitimately supply different identity conditions without any being ad hoc.

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    Reasons For

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    • 1.Sortals like 'person' and 'animal' carve nature at different conceptual joints, so identity conditions should vary accordingly.
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    • 2.Linguistic practice shows we apply different persistence criteria across categories without incoherence or theoretical cost.
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    • 3.Ad hoc criteria require arbitrary stipulation; systematic sortal-relativity follows naturally from conceptual role differences.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.If identity itself is absolute, sortal-relative conditions can only track our concepts, not explain what actually persists.
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    • 2.Without principled constraints on which sortals get which conditions, the view risks collapsing into relativism about identity itself.
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    • 3.Dummett and Stevenson provide limited evidence that sortal-relativity actually solves identity puzzles better than alternatives.
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    Ad hoc criteria require arbitrary stipulation; systematic sortal-relativity foll...Dummett and Stevenson provide limited evidence that sortal-relativity actually s...If identity itself is absolute, sortal-relative conditions can only track our co...Linguistic practice shows we apply different persistence criteria across categor...
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    Sortals like 'person' and 'animal' carve nature at different conceptual joints, ...The formal proof that there is no such thing as relative identity requires that ...Without principled constraints on which sortals get which conditions, the view r...

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